Voices of the Unheard

Annisa R. Beta is an author, researcher, and lecturer at the School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne. Her research delves into the themes of youth, new media, and political subjectivity in Southeast Asia. Her debut book, Pious Girls, published in 2024, explores the rise of a feminine and pious political identity in Indonesia. Annisa co-founded Jaringan Etnografi Terbuka with Benjamin Hegarty, providing a platform for researchers and civil society in Indonesia to share insights on ethnographic methods and develop collaborative, creative approaches to research. She is also a recipient of the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) for 2023-2025.

Annisa R. Beta adalah seorang penulis, peneliti, dan dosen di School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne. Riset-risetnya mendalami tema-tema pemuda, media baru, dan subjektivitas politik di Asia Tenggara. Buku debutnya bertajuk Pious Girls, yang diterbitkan pada tahun 2024, mengeksplorasi kemunculan identitas politik feminin dan religius di Indonesia. Annisa turut mendirikan Jaringan Etnografi Terbuka bersama Benjamin Hegarty, menyediakan platform bagi peneliti dan masyarakat sipil di Indonesia untuk berbagi wawasan tentang metode etnografi dan mengembangkan pendekatan penelitian yang kolaboratif dan kreatif. Ia juga merupakan penerima Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) untuk periode 2023-2025.

Carma Mira is an Indonesian writer and translator hailing from Klungkung, Bali. Her debut short story collection, Ngantosang Ulungan Bulan, won the 2023 Gerip Maurip Competition and the 2024 Rancage Literary Award. In 2023, she was selected to translate Balinese children’s literature manuscripts for Balai Bahasa Provinsi Bali. She was also a selected writer in the 2024 Selection for Writing and Translating Children’s Literature in Regional Languages. She currently works as a lecturer in Old Javanese Literature at Universitas Udayana and a contributor to the Wikimedia community in Denpasar.

Carma Mira adalah seorang penulis dan penerjemah asal Klungkung, Bali. Kumpulan cerpen pertamanya, Ngantosang Ulungan Bulan, berhasil memenangkan Sayembara Gerip Maurip 2023 dan Penghargaan Sastra Rancage 2024. Pada tahun 2023, ia terpilih sebagai penerjemah naskah cerita anak Bali untuk Balai Bahasa Provinsi Bali. Ia juga terpilih dalam seleksi Penulisan dan Penerjemahan Cerita Anak Berbahasa Daerah pada tahun 2024. Saat ini, ia bekerja sebagai dosen Sastra Jawa Kuno di Universitas Udayana dan kontributor di komunitas Wikimedia di Denpasar.

Esther Haluk is an Indonesian writer, academic, church worker, and activist from West Papua. She serves as the Coordinator of the West Papua Feminist Forum (WPFF), a platform that brings together Papuan women and marginalized groups such as the LGBT community and people with disabilities to share their knowledge and grow together. Living in a conflict zone, Esther actively advocates for women's and children's issues in Papua. Her poetry collection, Nyanyian Sunyi, was published in 2021 to reflect the realities there. In addition to her campaign and advocacy work, Esther is actively involved in Sinode Gereja Kemah Injil Papua (KINGMI) and teaches at Sekolah Tinggi Teologia Walter Post Sentani.

Esther Haluk adalah seorang penulis, akademisi, pekerja gereja, dan aktivis perempuan dari Papua Barat. Ia menjabat sebagai Koordinator West Papua Feminist Forum (WPFF), sebuah forum yang mewadahi para perempuan Papua dan kelompok marginal seperti komunitas LGBT dan kelompok disabilitas untuk saling berbagi pengetahuan dan bertumbuh bersama. Hidup di daerah konflik, Esther aktif mengadvokasikan isu-isu perempuan dan anak di tanah Papua. Kumpulan puisinya yang bertajuk Nyanyian Sunyi diterbitkan pada tahun 2021 untuk merefleksikan realitas yang terjadi di sana. Selain aktif melakukan kampanye dan advokasi, Esther juga aktif di Sinode Gereja Kemah Injil Papua (KINGMI) dan mengajar di Sekolah Tinggi Teologia Walter Post Sentani.

Gody Usnaat is an Indonesian poet currently residing in Umuaf, a village located not far from the border of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Throughout his career, he has published three poetry books: Mama Menganyam Noken, Bertemu Belalang, and Hari Minggu Bersamamu. He was also a finalist for Majelis Sastra Asia Tenggara's Literary Workshop in 2017. In addition to writing, Gody is one of the mentors for children at Rumah Singgah Ostia, a shelter for children from Towe Atas, Embi, and Yamrab 2 villages who are pursuing their education in the Web District. He has been teaching at SD YPPK Akar Indah Semografi since 2014, after completing his studies in philosophy at STFK Ledalero, Flores, in 2010.

Gody Usnaat adalah seorang penyair Indonesia yang kini tinggal di Umuaf, sebuah kampung yang terletak tak jauh dari perbatasan Indonesia dan Papua Nugini. Sepanjang karirnya, ia telah menerbitkan tiga buku puisi, yakni Mama Menganyam Noken, Bertemu Belalang dan Hari Minggu Bersamamu, serta menjadi Finalis Bengkel Sastra Majelis Sastra Asia Tenggara tahun 2017. Selain menulis, Gody adalah salah satu pendamping anak-anak di Rumah Singgah Ostia, rumah bagi anak-anak dari kampung Towe Atas, Embi, dan Yamrab 2 yang sedang melanjutkan sekolah di Distrik Web. Ia juga mengajar sebagai Guru SD YPPK Akar Indah Semografi sejak tahun 2014, setelah menyelesaikan pendidikan di bidang filsafat di STFK Ledalero, Flores, pada tahun 2010.

Michelin Sallata is an Indonesian youth climate activist, educator, and advocate dedicated to empowering indigenous youth through traditional knowledge and leadership. Her work spans social and community development, with a focus on literacy, climate change mitigation by indigenous communities, and addressing mental health issues, particularly in relation to sexual violence and intergenerational trauma. In 2022, she became the first female Chairperson of Barisan Pemuda Adat Nusantara (BPAN) and Deputy Chair of the Asia Indigenous Youth Platform (AIYP) for Southeast Asia. In 2023, she founded POMANARA Foundation to promote inclusive youth leadership in Eastern Indonesia. Michelin was invited to the 3rd Asia Pacific Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRD) Forum hosted by the United Nations OHCHR in 2023.

Michelin Sallata adalah seorang aktivis iklim, pendidik, dan advokat muda Indonesia yang berdedikasi memberdayakan pemuda adat melalui pengetahuan dan kepemimpinan tradisional. Kerja-kerjanya mencakup pengembangan sosial dan komunitas, dengan fokus pada literasi, mitigasi perubahan iklim oleh komunitas adat, dan menangani masalah kesehatan mental, terutama yang berkaitan dengan kekerasan seksual dan trauma antargenerasi. Pada tahun 2022, ia menjadi perempuan pertama yang terpilih sebagai Ketua Barisan Pemuda Adat Nusantara (BPAN). Ia juga merupakan Wakil Ketua Asia Indigenous Youth Platform (AIYP) untuk Asia Tenggara. Pada tahun 2023, ia mendirikan Yayasan POMANARA untuk mempromosikan kepemimpinan pemuda yang inklusif di Indonesia Timur. Michelin diundang ke Forum Asia Pacific Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRD) ke-3 yang diselenggarakan oleh OHCHR PBB pada tahun 2023.

Novieta Tourisia is an Indonesian textile and mixed media artist based in Ubud, Bali. She has worked with natural dyes and fibers for her artworks and wearables over the past ten years. Always a crafter since childhood, it was only in her early 20s that a personal pilgrimage to her maternal homeland, West Sumatra, revealed that some of her great-grandmothers were weavers and dyers. This ancestral matriarchal reconnection and her work with barkcloth artisans in Poso, Central Sulawesi, inspired and empowered her to pursue artisanal craftswomanship. She left her years-long career in tourism and, in 2015, founded an artisanal textile studio known as Cinta Bumi Artisans.

Soalihin Asdin is an Indonesian teacher on the island of Sumba in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. He is also a filmmaker whose films depicting local cultures and the challenges faced by people in his village have been watched by millions. For example, his film about young lovers from Sumba, Lince and Natan, has been viewed more than 3.3 million times. He writes, directs, and produces his films with his community members and is part of a growing number of Indonesians sharing their art and culture on YouTube, finding audiences there.

Soalihin Asdin adalah seorang guru di Pulau Sumba, Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur. Ia juga merupakan seorang pembuat film. Karya-karyanya yang mengangkat budaya lokal serta tantangan yang dihadapi oleh masyarakat di desanya telah ditonton oleh jutaan mata. Misalnya saja film tentang pasangan muda dari Sumba, Lince dan Natan, yang telah ditonton lebih dari 3,3 juta kali. Ia menulis, menyutradarai, dan memproduksi film-filmnya bersama anggota komunitasnya dan merupakan bagian dari orang Indonesia yang membagikan seni dan budaya mereka di YouTube dan menemukan penonton di sana.